In:
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, S. Karger AG, Vol. 71, No. 6 ( 2002), p. 350-356
Abstract:
〈 i 〉 Background: 〈 /i 〉 Scarce data are available on the influence of psychological aspects on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure patterns either in normotensive or hypertensive subjects. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between psychological profile and changes in daytime/nighttime blood pressure rhythm. 〈 i 〉 Methods: 〈 /i 〉 〈 i 〉 〈 /i 〉 Nocturnal dipping was defined as the night/day ratio of ambulatory mean systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure ≤0.87. Three-hundred and two outpatients (M/F = 174/128; mean age = 49.8 years, SD = 13.6; range, 16–80 years 〈 i 〉 ) 〈 /i 〉 underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. They were administered a self-rating scale, the Psychosocial Index, as an indicator of stress, psychological distress, sleep disturbances, well-being, abnormal illness behavior and quality of life. There were 242 patients taking antihypertensive medication (146 adequately controlled and 96 not controlled) and 60 who were drug free (33 never-treated hypertensive and 27 normotensive subjects) 〈 i 〉 . 〈 /i 〉 Patients were divided according to the presence (n = 125) or absence (n = 177) of night blood pressure dipping. The two groups were compared using analysis of covariance, with age as a covariate. 〈 i 〉 Results: 〈 /i 〉 Dippers had lower (p 〈 0.001) nocturnal systolic and diastolic blood pressure than nondippers, and higher (p 〈 0.05) daytime diastolic blood pressure. Patients with nocturnal blood pressure decline had a markedly higher (p 〈 0.001) level of stress than nondippers. When the sample was divided according to the presence or absence of hypertension, only subjects with normal 〈 i 〉 〈 /i 〉 blood pressure showed nocturnal dipping associated with increased stressful life circumstances. 〈 i 〉 Conclusions: 〈 /i 〉 Our findings indicate that dippers experience stressful life circumstances, both in terms of life events and chronic stress. This 〈 i 〉 〈 /i 〉 suggests that stress-reducing techniques may be particularl 〈 i 〉 y 〈 /i 〉 helpful in the setting of hypertension characterized by nighttime blood pressure dipping.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0033-3190
,
1423-0348
Language:
English
Publisher:
S. Karger AG
Publication Date:
2002
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1472321-9
SSG:
5,2
SSG:
15,3
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